Vitamin and mineral supplements for human and veterinary use are commonplace. Recently, it has become recognized that certain groups of the human population may require quite high intakes of minerals, such as calcium, to prevent or alleviate certain disease states, for example, osteoporotic conditions. The medical management of certain anemias can be handled rather well by increasing the daily intake of iron. Some diets, or heavy physical exercise, may require the intake of considerable quantities of minerals apart from those generally obtained through what otherwise would be considered a balanced diet.
Mineral supplements, such as those commercially available, are useful in many circumstances where enhanced mineral uptake is desirable. During the period of late teenage to young adulthood, it has been found that a signficant reduction in dietary calcium intake typically occurs. This is especially true of the female population and may be one reason for the susceptibility of females to osteoporosis in their later lives. The primary sources of calcium are milk and other types of dairy product. Many young people find milk unattractive to drink and to achieve a greater consumption of calcium, more appealing alternatives may sometimes be required.
Candy products are consumed in great quantities by the whole population but especially by teenagers and young adults. Accordingly, candy products which are nutritionally supplemented with minerals could be viewed as potential vehicles for achieving greater dietary intake of calcium and other minerals.
The use of mineral supplements in candy products is well known (eg. U.S. Pat. No. 4582709). Mineral-supplemented candy products often have a poor flavor impression, however, as they provide a slower or more lingering onset of sourness than is usually desirable in a fruit flavoured candy. It is also known that certain materials can act as "potentiators" which enhance the bioavailability of calcium in mineral supplements (see for example EP-A-0297681). Fructose is one such potentiator and the carbohydrates such as sucrose function similarly, albeit less well than fructose. Certain edible acids such as citric acid and malic acid are also known to act as potentiators, apparently by formation of highly soluble calcium citrate and malate species such as CaH (citrate), Ca(H.sub.2 citrate).sub.2 and CaH (malate). Soluble species of this kind are relatively unstable however and are subject to disproportionation to the corresponding acid and more thermodynamically stable but less soluble salts such as Ca.sub.3 citrate.sub.2.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide candy compositions incorporating mineral supplements and potentiators therefore and which display improved mineral uptake and bioavailability characteristics even after prolonged storage. It would also be desirable to provide candy compositions incorporating mineral supplements having improved flavor impact.